BRIEF COMMUNICATION: Jersey cows milked once-a-day can produce ;200 kg milksolids per hectare

摘要

While dairy cows are generally milked twice-a-day (TAD) in New Zealand, more farmers are adopting a once-a-day (OAD) milking routine to improve their lifestyle, reduce farm costs and improve animal welfare. Clark et al. (2006) reported that the yieldof milksolids (MS) from Jersey cows was less affected (-19.9%/cow) by OAD milking than the MS yield from Holstein-Friesian cows (-29.4%/cow). Jersey cows milked OAD in Taranaki between 2000 and 2004 averaged 222 kg MS/cow and 979 kg MS/ha (Clark et al.,2006). In the 2006/07 season average per cow production from cows milked TAD in New Zealand was 330 kg MS (Livestock Improvement Corporation, 2007). There is evidence to suggest that a significant proportion of cows, within herds, show minimal yield losses when milked OAD, suggesting the possibility of selecting cows that tolerate less frequent milking (Woolford et al., 1985).